We are raising funds on behalf of Mitch (Dalton) after a sudden and serious Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis turned his life upside down. Mitch went from working full time in a mining traineeship to being hospitalised with stroke-like symptoms, vision loss, impaired speech and major mobility issues. While he is making progress, he is unable to return to his traineeship and is facing ongoing medical appointments, rehabilitation, travel costs and major financial uncertainty.

Mitch’s life changed suddenly and dramatically in late January this year.

What began with slurred speech, dizziness, vertigo, tingling in his fingers, sensory changes and increasing difficulty with spatial awareness quickly escalated into something far more serious. Mitch developed weakness down the right side of his face, arm and leg, significant mobility impairment, and became hypersensitive to sound.

Shortly after, Mitch was admitted to hospital after being referred by his GP for what appeared to be an acute neurological event with stroke-like symptoms. His condition deteriorated rapidly. Mitch lost the vision in his right eye, his speech became increasingly slurred, and he became confused and cognitively impaired. At his sickest, he was unable to speak properly, struggled to remember who people were, had major difficulty walking, and was unable to eat or swallow properly. It was a terrifying time for everyone who loves him.

In the days that followed, he underwent urgent scans and testing including MRIs, CT scans, blood tests and a lumbar puncture. In total, he spent 7 days in hospital while doctors worked to understand what was happening.

Throughout that time, his fiancé, family, close mates and chosen people rallied around him to make sure he was never alone unless absolutely necessary. In the early stages of his deterioration, Mitch was nonverbal at times, significantly impaired in both his fine and gross motor skills, and experiencing severe confusion.

Mitch has now been officially diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. There is also additional damage to the left frontal lobe that is still being investigated.

Although Mitch was thankfully able to return home after a week in hospital, life has changed in a major way. Since being discharged, he has needed ongoing multidisciplinary rehabilitation and specialist support. He is attending frequent appointments, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other health services. Some weeks, he has 3 to 4 appointments, many of which involve travel.

While Mitch is working hard in his recovery and has shown real determination, the reality is that he is currently unable to return to work, and he will need to retrain in a different industry whereby a sudden flare up in his condition will not pose a risk to himself or others.

Mitch is a Muswellbrook local who has been in the workforce since he was 15, working across several industries before starting a mining traineeship in 2025. At the time of his MS flare, he was about halfway through his traineeship, working as a dump truck driver in the local mines. Because of the nature of his condition and the high-risk environment of that work, his traineeship has been suspended. He cannot safely return to that role, as doing so could place both him and others at risk.

This has left Mitch in an incredibly difficult position. He is not well enough to safely return to his usual work, but because he is still in the early stages of diagnosis and assessment, he is also facing roadblocks when trying to access support through systems like Centrelink, NDIS and insurance. Despite significant efforts, he has not yet been able to access the level of financial support he needs. He has found himself in the gap between being too unwell to work, but not yet having the formal approvals and evidence needed to receive meaningful support.

At the moment, Mitch is being financially supported by his fiancé and the people closest to him. We are doing this because we love him and want to help him through, but we also know it is not sustainable long term.

Mitch has worked incredibly hard to build a good life for himself. He was born and raised in the Upper Hunter and has built a strong reputation in his community. Over the last four and a half years, he has completely transformed his life through sobriety, discipline, health and fitness. He has remained sober from alcohol and other substances, rebuilt his health from the ground up, and become deeply committed to living the healthiest life possible. Anyone who knows Mitch knows how hard he has worked to become the man he is today.

He is a regular at the local gym, passionate about helping others, and someone who has turned his own life experience into empathy and strength. He is also a proud uncle to two nieces who mean the world to him.

Just one month before this MS flare-up, Mitch proposed to his partner. They had just begun planning their future together- marriage, children, and the life they were building side by side. Since his diagnosis, his fiancée has stood by him every step of the way and has taken on a caring role throughout his recovery.

Looking ahead, Mitch is now having to rethink his future completely. Because of the long-term realities of Multiple Sclerosis and the risks associated with his former line of work, he will need to retrain for a different career path. He has started making arrangements to undertake a Diploma of Community Services, with the goal of helping people in his community in a formal and meaningful way. This next chapter is hopeful, but it also comes with financial pressure, uncertainty, and the likelihood that he will be unable to work while studying and continuing treatment.

We are starting this fundraiser to help ease some of that pressure and give Mitch the stability he needs to focus on recovery, treatment and rebuilding his life.

Any donation, big or small, will help support Mitch with:

• Day-to-day living expenses while he is unable to work

• Medical and rehabilitation-related costs

• Travel to ongoing specialist appointments

• Costs associated with retraining and rebuilding for a safer future

If you are not in a position to donate, sharing this page would mean the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read Mitch’s story and thank you for any support you can offer during this incredibly difficult time.